yamagata

Got on the bus at Tokyo Station and left right on time: 11pm. Stopping every 2 hours, we got to Yamagata Prefecture at 6 in the morning. Breakfast at a highway rest stop, then a visit to Iai Shrine; dedicated to the Father Of Iai, Hayashizaki Sensei.

Path leading back to the shrine


Niina-gosoke checking out the shrine


The photo is of Nakamura Kenzaburo performing Toyama-ryu


Various arts/sensei, including Mugairyu, Ishii Gogetsu, and others that we know and/or have trained with

Back on the bus we wound our way through the still-snowy mountains and got to Miyashita-bo by 11 am. Miyashita-san was born and raised here, and she's the only one in her family to leave Yamagata. We had a huge lunch and then rode the bus up to Hagurosan, a stunning temple at the top of the mountain built in 593 (yes, that's over 1400 years ago.)
The priests did a purification ceremony for us and then we practiced for a couple of hours in the hall next to the temple.
After practice, we walked down the 2466 hand-laid stone steps to the bottom of the mountain, walked back to Yamashita-bo, hit the bath, and had dinner.



The 300 year-old Japanese cedar are as dangerous as they are majestic. My nose hasn't stopped running, my whole head is stuffed up, I haven't slept in over a day, I walked down 2466 hand-laid stone steps through the mountains, and my allergies are not having fun.
Plus, our room happens to be right next door to the party room where everyone else will be drinking the night away.